Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 13:12 (NIV) “When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them”
They were right there by the door as Jesus and the disciples entered the upper room. The pitcher of clean water, the basin and the towel. The custom was that the guests’ feet were washed as they prepared to eat the meal. It was a ritual reserved for the lowliest slave in the household to perform. But there was no slave to do this for those who would join Jesus for this last supper.
One by one they walk past it. Peter, one of the oldest disciples, may have thought it was below his dignity to perform this service - let the youngest do it. John, the youngest disciple, may have decided that he was tired of getting stuck with the dirty work - just because he was the youngest. Maybe the rest of them were still excited about the reception they had received earlier that week. Jesus had all but verbally shouted that He was the Messiah when He rode into Jerusalem on that little donkey. Any time now He was going to finally declare Himself Messiah and King of Israel and He was going to kick some Roman keister right out of Israel and back across the sea. The twelfth disciple may not even seen the pitcher, basin and towel because he was wrapped up in his anger, guilt and shame.
And then there is the thirteenth man. Look closely at Him and see the fine lines of tension and sorrow on His face. He - of all of them - knows that there is not going to be any taking the throne of Israel or kicking Roman keister. He knows that He stands on the precipice of a hell that His followers cannot even begin to imagine. A quick flash of pain crosses His face as He looks at Judas. Judas, His disciple, a man whom Jesus has loved and traveled with for three years won’t even meet His eyes. Judas, His friend, will betray Him and push Him off that precipice and into hell.
Jesus waits for just a few minutes, but when nobody else moves, with an inner sigh, He gets up. Three years of His teachings - and they still don’t get the whole “the first shall be last and the last shall be first”idea. They are still so wrapped up in the thought of ruling with Him that they cannot grasp serving with Him. I wonder if there was a shocked silence as Jesus took off His outer robe, and took the position of the lowliest slave. As He went from disciple to disciple carefully washing each one’s feet - do you wonder what they were thinking? They did not understand the Messiah He was, but they firmly believed that He was Messiah, the King, the Savior, the Restorer of the Throne of David. What was the King of Kings doing washing their feet? And yet not one of them stood up and said, “Hey, Jesus, this ain’t right. I will wash everyone’s feet!” Peter comes about the closest when he asks Jesus, “Are You going to wash my feet?” And when Jesus says He is - Peter says “Oh no You’re not!” But still, he doesn’t offer to take Jesus’ place.
How many times have I walked past the opportunity to serve? How many times have I passed by a needy soul because the person attached to it was dirty, or scary, or just plain crazy-looking? How many times did I think that that particular place of service was a little “low-brow” for somebody who has been serving faithfully in the same church for eleven (count them eleven!) years. Or I pass by because I am tired of always getting stuck with that particular job! How many times have I not taken Jesus’s place - not been His hands and feet to this world?
How many times has Jesus sighed when I have failed to serve Him by going where He would have me serve. How many times has He shook His head as I offer up empty excuse after empty excuse, and then He looks around for somebody else to serve Him. Too many times, LORD God, too many times.
LORD Jesus, I call myself Your duelos, Your slave-by-choice, but the truth is that I have failed You by failing to serve You more times than I am willing to admit to even myself. Forgive me, LORD, for my pride, my stubbornness and my lack of compassion.
I think that some of the most amazing words in this story are the first seven words of our verse - “When He had finished washing their feet...” Jesus washed all of their feet. He washed dignified Peter’s feet, He washed put-upon John’s feet, He washed the dreamers feet and He washed Judas’ feet. What must that have been like for Jesus? To wash the feet of this man, knowing that in a very short time those feet He had cleaned so carefully would bear the betrayer to his appointment with the High Priest. Jesus knelt at Judas’ feet like the lowliest of slaves, knowing that Judas would shortly sell Him for the price of a slave and yet, by neither by word nor deed did Jesus treat Judas any differently from the rest.
Jesus calls us to serve Him with the same humility and servants heart that He had that night as He held Judas’ feet in His hands. Sometimes we don’t think that the people we are called to serve are worthy of our attention, sometimes we don’t even think that they are worthy of Jesus’ attention. But Jesus has taught us by His words and by His deeds that that is not our call. Our call is to serve Him as willingly as He served us. It is His job to determine the worthiness of the individual - and He says that we are all equally worthy of His mercy and grace
Jesus, my heart’s desire is to truly be Your duelos, to have no other will in my life but Yours. My problem is that I am better at wanting it than actually doing it. Help me to be stronger in serving You. Help me to make “Not my will but Yours be done” not only the cry of my heart - but the actions of my life.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
Posted by Valerie at March 23, 2007 06:18 PM